Sr. Francis Teresa, DCJ - The Necessity of Spiritual Mothering a Priest!

The GIFT of Spiritual Motherhood is for all women; especially those whole love Carmelite Spirituality. Also, Priests are being attacked more than ever today! Therefore, spiritual mother them too!

What Jesus said to Saint Faustina about fear.

[May 1937]. Corpus Christi.

During prayer, I heard these words: My daughter, let your heart be filled with joy. I, the Lord, am with you. Fear nothing. You are in My heart.

 At that moment, I knew the great majesty of God, and I understood that nothing could be compared with one single perception of God. Outward greatness dwindles like a speck of dust before one act of a deeper knowledge of God.

The Lord has poured such a depth of peace into my soul that nothing will disturb it any more. Despite everything that goes on around me, I am not deprived of my peace for a moment. Even if the whole world were crumbling, it would not disturb the depth of the silence which is within me and in which God rests. All events, all the various things which happen are under His foot.

This deeper knowledge of God gives me full liberty and spiritual freedom, and nothing can disturb my close union with Him, not even the angelic powers. I feel that I am great when I am united to God. What happiness it is to have the consciousness of God in one's heart and to live in close intimacy with Him. (1133,34,35 Diary)

Medjugorje: Here is Our Lady's Christmas Message through Jakov:

December 25, 2015

The apparition began at 2:08 pm and lasted 10 minutes. Afterwards Jakov transmitted the message:

Dear children! All these years that God permits me to be with you are a sign of the immeasurable love which God has for each one of you and a sign of how much God loves you. Little children, how many graces the Most High has given to you and how many graces he desires to give to you. 

But, little children, your hearts are closed and live in fear, and do not permit Jesus to have His love and His peace overcome your hearts and to begin to reign in your lives.

 To live without God means to live in darkness and never to come to know the Father's love and His care for each of you.

 Therefore, little children, today in a special way pray to Jesus that as of today your life may experience a new birth in God and become a light which will radiate from within you, and thus that you may become witnesses of God's presence in the world to every person who lives in darkness. Little children, I love you and daily intercede before the Most High for you. Thank you for having responded to my call.

 In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
Mary TV

Medjugorje: Our Lady's Christmas Message to Marija of December 25, 15

“Dear children! Also today I am carrying my Son Jesus to you and from this embrace I am giving you His peace and a longing for Heaven. I am praying with you for peace and am calling you to be peace. I am blessing all of you with my motherly blessing of peace. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

A Little Reflection (by Sr. Isabel) 

Today, we celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace. Is it any wonder that Our Lady stresses the peace which only He can give? She has given us Jesus to be our peace.We know that true peace will only come about for us when we are united with her and her Son in the eternal kingdom. Meanwhile, we strive for inner peace midst a troubled world in which peace seems to be unattainable. 

We pray for peace, personal peace, peace in our families, peace in our communities, peace in our parishes, in our cities and in the entire world. It is encouraging that Our Lady is praying with us and for us. Holy Mary, Mother of the Infant Jesus, our Prince of Peace, intercede for us so that we may be instruments of peace in the world in which we live. Thank you for you Motherly blessing.

Bishop Tobin comments on miracle

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Rhode Island bishop comments on miracle

Today I call you to prepare yourselves for the coming of Jesus.

Dear children! Today I call you to prepare yourselves for the coming of Jesus. In a special way, prepare your hearts. May Holy Confession be the first act of conversion for you and then, dear children, decide for holiness. May your conversion and decision for holiness begin today and not tomorrow. Little children, I call you all to the way of salvation and I desire to show you the way to Heaven. That is why, little children, be mine and Decide with me for holiness. Little children, accept prayer with seriousness and pray, pray, pray. Thank you for having responded to my call. Our Lady's message from Medjugorje of November 25, 1998

Bishop Thomas Tobin, An open letter to Inactive Catholics

An Open Letter to Inactive Catholics
BY BISHOP THOMAS J. TOBIN
R. I. Catholic 12/9/10

My dear Brother or Sister: In the spirit of the Advent and Christmas Season, and as the Diocese of Providence nears the end of its “Year of Evangelization,” I’m writing this letter to inactive Catholics of our Diocese – perhaps you’re in that category – to let you know that we miss you, we love you and we want you to come home to the Church. The first dilemma I faced in writing this letter was how to describe you – an “inactive Catholic,” a “fallen-away Catholic” or a “former-Catholic.” I chose the first option.

I decided against “fallen-away Catholic” for it suggests someone falling off a fence or out of a tree. The image isn’t helpful.

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*And there’s really no such thing as a “former Catholic.” If you were baptized a Catholic, you’re a Catholic for life – even if you haven’t been to Mass for years, even if you’ve renounced the title and joined another Church. Your baptism infused your soul with Catholic DNA – it defines who and what you are.

Thus, I’ve chosen the title, “inactive Catholic,” because even though you haven’t been “active” in the Catholic community for awhile, especially by attending Sunday Mass, receiving the sacraments and otherwise participating in the life of the Church, you’re still a Catholic. Sorry . . . you’re stuck with us!

.
Perhaps the exact name isn’t very important though. What’s more important is why you drifted away from the Church, why you stopped coming to Mass, and what we can do about it.
Did you leave the Church because you disagree with some of the Church’s teachings and practices; or because you found it boring and “didn’t get anything out of it”; or because someone in the Church offended you or disappointed you; or because you just got a little complacent, spiritually lazy, in the fulfillment of your obligations? Let’s look at each of these reasons.

If you left the Church because you disagree with the fundamental teachings of the Church I’m afraid there’s not much I can do to help you. The essential teachings of the Church on matters of faith and morals aren’t negotiable – they weren’t made up arbitrarily by human beings but, in fact, were given to us by Christ. They can’t be changed, even if they’re unpopular or difficult to live with. I hope that you’ll take some time to really understand what the Church teaches and why. Sometimes, we find, good folks get bad information and that leads to confusion and then alienation.

If you left the Church because you found it to be boring and “didn’t get anything out of it,” well, I understand. Sometimes, it’s true, leaders of the Church haven’t fed the flock very well – sometimes we haven’t provided sound and challenging teaching and preaching, and sometimes our worship has been banal and bland. Perhaps we haven’t been very kind or welcoming. I apologize for that; we can and should do better.

On the other hand, when you attend Mass it shouldn’t be all about you – the focus is God! You should attend Mass to give, as well as receive – to worship the Lord, to ask forgiveness of your sins, to thank Him for His gifts and to pray for others. And for Catholics the most important reason to attend Mass is to receive the Holy Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Christ, the Bread of Life. You can’t do that anywhere else!

If you left the Church because another member of the Church offended or disappointed you, I’m truly sorry for that offense and in the name of the Church I sincerely apologize. I hope you’ll forgive us and give us another chance. Members of the Church – including priests and bishops – are completely human. Sometimes we say things and do things that are totally unacceptable, even immoral. But let’s face it – we belong to a community of sinners – that’s why we begin every Mass by calling to mind our sins and asking for God’s forgiveness. The virtue of forgiveness is an essential part of the Christian life – we all need to seek and grant forgiveness now and then.

Finally, if you left the Church because of your own spiritual laziness – complacency – I guess the ball’s in your court. I can only encourage you to start over – to think about your relationship with God and try to understand how important the Church is in helping you fulfill your God-given potential and, more importantly, helping you achieve eternal life.

You see, the Church isn’t just another human organization, some sort of social club. We believe that the Church has divine elements – that it was founded by Christ and is guided by the Holy Spirit. You need the Church – you need the teachings of the Church, the life-giving sacraments of the Church, and the support of a community that shares your faith and values. But the Church also needs you – we need the gifts of your time and talent, your faith and commitment. The Church has an awful lot to offer you, but if in fact we’ve been imperfect fulfilling our mission, in serving the Lord and caring for one another, perhaps you can help us to do better.

**The irony of this letter, of course, is that if you’ve been an inactive Catholic, you might not see it. But I’m counting on a Catholic member of your family, or a friend, neighbor or co-worker, to see it and share it.

The Christmas Season is a wonderful, grace-filled time, a time when we remember that the Word of God became flesh and that Jesus is “Emmanuel” – God with us. God came to earth to search for us, to embrace us, to lift us up, and to take us with Him to eternal life. He came to invite you to be His friend and companion along the way.

Dear brother or sister, if you’ve been away from the Church for awhile, it’s time to come home. If there’s an issue or a problem we can help you with, please contact your local parish, or contact me here at the Diocese of Providence. I might not be able to solve every problem and meet every need, but I’ll try. Please know, however, that we miss you, we love you and we hope to see you soon.
Your brother in Christ,
Bishop Tobin

The Medjugorje Message: Cardinal hints at status change for Medjugorje

The Medjugorje Message: Cardinal hints at status change for Medjugorje: Cardinal Vinko Puljic, head of the Church in Bosnia Herzegovina, has hinted at possible changes to Medjugorje’s status as a sanctuary and pl...

What Will Matter---ready or not, some day it will all come to an end

Jesus said, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Today's Daily Encounter is by Michael Josephson

Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end. There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days. All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else. Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance. It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed. Your grudges, resentments, frustrations and jealousies will finally disappear. So too, your hopes, ambitions, plans and to-do lists will expire. The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away. It won't matter where you came from or what side of the tracks you lived on at the end. It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant. Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.

So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?
What will matter is not what you bought but what you built, not what you got but what you gave. What will matter is not your success but your significance. What will matter is not what you learned but what you taught. What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage, or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example. What will matter is not your competence but your character.
What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you're gone. What will matter is not your memories but the memories that live in those who loved you. What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what. Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident. It's not a matter of circumstance but of choice. Choose to live a life that matters.

 "Dear God, please help me to live in light of eternal values so that my life will not be wasted but invested in the lives of others for all eternity so that my life will matter. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

Our Lady to St. Juan Diego:

Comforting Words from Our Lady of Guadalupe

Saturday, December 12th, 2015

Ave Maria Meditations Some of the words of Our Lady to St. Juan Diego: Know for certain, littlest of my sons, that I am the perfect and perpetual Virgin Mary, Mother of the True God through Whom everything lives, the Lord of all things near and far, the Master of heaven and earth. I wish and intensely desire that in this place my sanctuary be erected. Here I will demonstrate and exhibit and give all my love, my compassion, my help and my protection to the people. I am your merciful Mother. The merciful Mother of all of you who live united in this land, and of all mankind, of all those who love me. Here I will hear their weeping, their sorrow, and will remedy, and alleviate all their multiple sufferings, necessities and misfortunes. Listen, put it into your heart, my youngest and dearest son, that the thing that frightens you, the thing that afflicts you, is nothing: do not let it disturb you, Am I not here, I who am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not the source of your joy? Are you not in the hollow of my mantle, in the crossing of my arms? Do you need something more? Let nothing else worry you or disturb you… Our Lady of Guadalupe, please pray for us!

- See more at: http://airmaria.com/#sthash.yRMrgA4E.dpuf

WHEN MARY VISITS

"Mary set out, proceeding in haste into the hill country to a town of Judah, where she entered Zechariah's house and greeted Elizabeth." -Luke 1:39-40

When Mary visited Elizabeth, both Elizabeth and her baby were filled with the Holy Spirit (Lk 1:41). Then Mary proclaimed the greatness of the Lord (Lk 1:46) and announced a spiritual revolution in which the mighty would be deposed and replaced with the lowly (Lk 1:52).

When Mary visited the area now called Mexico City, eight million people were converted to Jesus in seven years. This launched a spiritual revolution which put an end to the demonic human sacrifice of thousands of children.

Jesus may be sending His mother to visit us now. If we accept Mary as our mother on Jesus' terms, we will have a new Pentecost (see Acts 1:14). This will result in the conversion of millions and in a spiritual revolution that will put an end to the surgical and chemical abortions of many millions of children each year.

Instead of rejecting Jesus and His mother, let us make room for them in our lives (see Lk 2:7). In this way, we will have hope, abundant and eternal life, and a true Christmas. Who are we that the mother of our Lord should come to us? (see Lk 1:43)

 Father, make me as open to Your mother as was Elizabeth.

 "See, I am coming to dwell among you, says the Lord." -Zec 2:14

 Our Lady of Guadalupe spoke to one obedient man. Now half the Catholic Church's living members are in the New World.

Our Lady of Guadalupe

The Jubilee Year of Mercy has just begun

  

(c)Mateo Ivankovic 2015

J.M.J. 

December 10, 2015

Dear Family of Mary!

The Jubilee Year of Mercy has just begun. We are all excited to see the miracles of mercy that will take place as the Church prays together as one heart for Mercy!

Jesus spoke these words to St. Faustina about this Time of Mercy that she announced:

Let the greatest sinners place their trust in My mercy. They have the right before others to trust in the abyss of My mercy. My daughter, write about My mercy towards tormented souls. Souls that make an appeal to My mercy delight Me. To such souls I grant even more graces than they ask. I cannot punish even the greatest sinner if he makes an appeal to My compassion, but on the contrary, I justify him in My unfathomable and inscrutable mercy. Write: before I come as a just Judge, I first open wide the door of My mercy. He who refuses to pass through the door of My mercy must pass through the door of My justice..... (1146 Diary)

Jesus will not refuse any soul who turns to Him for mercy, even the most hardened. They are free to refuse Him, but He will not refuse them if the turn to Him. This is such a great comfort for us. There is still time, right now, for souls lost and sinful to regain their relationship with the Lord. There is still time for them to turn and be saved. Jesus is waiting for them with open arms.

Our Lady said the same in March of 2010:

"Dear children! Today I call you to love with all your heart and with all your soul. Pray for the gift of love, because when the soul loves it calls my Son to itself. My Son does not refuse those who call Him and who desire to live according to Him. Pray for those who do not comprehend love, who do not understand what it means to love. Pray that God may be their Father and not their Judge. My children, you be my apostles, be my river of love. I need you. Thank you." (March 18, 2010, Mirjana)

"My Son does not refuse those who call Him..."

 This is the good news of Jesus Christ. He told us in so many ways that He longs for the lost souls, seeks them, calls them, suffers for them, and loves them. As we pray with Our Lady, standing before the Father, let's allow our hearts to become like Jesus' heart. Let's make room for all those who are far from Jesus and His love. If we hold them in our hearts, regardless of how we feel about them, we will be interceding for them with Mary. This is what she would like, that we intercede with her for those who are in jeopardy of being lost.

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!

Cathy Nolan

http://www.marytv.tv/

The Medjugorje Message: The Door of Mercy

The Medjugorje Message: The Door of Mercy: I am the gate of the sheepfold. Anyone who enters through me will be safe. He will go freely in and out and be sure of finding pasture. J...

Medjugorje A Pure Gift From God

Medjugorje comes from Heaven. It is a pure gift from God. That is why it was difficult for me to accept it at the beginning... because it calls for change. Unless a person accepts change, the Message of Medjugorje appeals to your soul like a beggar. Medjugorje calls you to relieve you of all your presuppositions and to begin a new approach to things, a radically new way. Medjugorje does not produce Pharisees.

 Fr Jozo Zovko OFM

I Am Calling You

"Dear children! Also today I call you: live your vocation in prayer. Now, as never before, Satan wants to suffocate man and his soul by his contagious wind of hatred and unrest. In many hearts there is no joy because there is no God or prayer. Hatred and war are growing from day to day. I am calling you, little children, begin anew, with enthusiasm, the walk of holiness and love; since I have come among you because of this. Together let us be love and forgiveness for all those who know and want to love only with a human love and not with that immeasurable love of God to which God calls you. Little children, may hope in a better tomorrow always be in your heart. Thank you for having responded to my call." (January 25, 2015)

"Now, as never before, Satan wants to suffocate man and his soul by his contagious wind of hatred and unrest."

There is an urgency in Our Lady's message. We can all feel it. Maybe it is her use of the phrase, "Now, as never before..." Mother Mary has a privileged perspective on history. She has witnessed the past 2000 years. She has seen centuries of turmoil, strife, persecution, and war. She has seen the growth of the Church, steadily over time, no matter the opposition. She has seen the Holy Spirit prevail over evil, time and time again. And she has seen the enemy laying his snares, gathering his forces, and warring upon the Church in every age. And so when she says, "Now as never before...", it seems that we ought to take her seriously.

I thought it might be helpful to look at the messages in which she has used this phrase. There are only three others. I list them below, so that we can read them and pray over them. It seems that there is a great deal at stake in this time of Our Lady's coming to Medjugorje. She has come at a pivotal moment in history, and though we might not see the whole picture, we can feel that she is with us because we need her and there is so much that depends on our response to her coming.

Here are the messages:

August 25, 1991 "Dear Children! Today also I invite you to prayer, now as never before when my plan has begun to be realized. Satan is strong and wants to sweep away my plans of peace and joy and make you think that my Son is not strong in His decisions. Therefore, I call all of you, dear children, to pray and fast still more firmly. I invite you to self-renunciation for nine days so that, with your help, everything that I desire to realize through the secrets I began in Fatima, may be fulfilled. I call you, dear children, to now grasp the importance of my coming and the seriousness of the situation. I want to save all souls and present them to God. Therefore, let us pray that everything I have begun be fully realized. Thank you for having responded to my call."

Our Lady really connected the dots with this message. She is in Medjugorje to finish up what she began in Fatima. Fatima was the beginning of her triumph. This is the time of its fulfilment. Wow!

September 25, 1991 "Dear children! Today in a special way I invite you all to prayer and renunciation. For now as never before Satan wants to show the world his shameful face by which he wants to seduce as many people as possible onto the way of death and sin. Therefore, dear children, help my Immaculate Heart to triumph in the sinful world. I beseech all of you to offer prayers and sacrifices for my intentions so I can present them to God for what is most necessary. Forget your desires, dear children, and pray for what God desires, and not for what you desire. Thank you for having responded to my call."

The shameful face of Satan is completely visible to us now. Who can deny that he is revealing himself? The only response we can give is to forget our desires, and pray for what God desires...the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart.

March 25, 1992 "Dear children! Today as never before I invite you to live my messages and to put them into practice in your life. I have come to you to help you and, therefore, I invite you to change your life because you have taken a path of misery, a path of ruin. When I told you: convert, pray, fast, be reconciled, you took these messages superficially. You started to live them and then you stopped, because it was difficult for you. No, dear children, when something is good, you have to persevere in the good and not think: God does not see me, He is not listening, He is not helping. And so you have gone away from God and from me because of your miserable interest. I wanted to create of you an oasis of peace, love and goodness. God wanted you, with your love and with His help, to do miracles and, thus, give an example. Therefore, here is what I say to you: Satan is playing with you and with your souls and I cannot help you because you are far away from my heart. Therefore, pray, live my messages and then you will see the miracles of God's love in your everyday life. Thank you for having responded to my call."

This message is a warning to us, we must not let Satan play with us. We must move into God's camp and stay there. We must help create the oasis of peace that Our Lady came to create. That oasis is her Immaculate Heart, revealed in each of us.

Well, I didn't expect to write this. It just came to me that Our Lady is urgent. And she has been urgent before. These messages together give us some sense of what is needed from us. May we respond to her call! May we become part of her peace plan, her oasis of peace! May we see miracles of God's love in our lives!! May Our Lady's desire to save all souls and present them to God be realized!!

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!

Cathy Nolan

©Mary TV 2015

„Međugorje is a place where my faith was born“

date: 04.12.2015.

Marijana Zovko, pilgrim who comes to Medjugorje and music composer from Laupheim in Germany, came recently to Međugorje. Marijana  was a guest in the programme of radio „Mir“ Međugorje and she spoke about her experience. „I came to Split to participate in the spiritual - psychological seminar and I felt desire to come to Međugorje, that I may be purified in the better way by doing the general confession, so I could return home with a new strength. There is a big difference in arriving here now, in the winter time, and in the summer time. I was here last summer also for five days and it was so hard to find a peaceful moment for prayer when there were many pilgrims around. On the contrary, it is really beautiful now, peace, silence, one can meditate and it is very special“, said Marijana who came to Medjugorje with her parents for the first time when she was a little girl: „I was not aware of what is happening here, but I immediately fell in love in Medjugorje and I kept coming back here. Medjugorje is a place where my faith was born, this is where I learned how to pray and to open to God and Gospa. Medjugorje is something special in my life. When one feels weak, helpless, do not give up, if you fell, raise up, Jesus is waiting for yum He is offering his hand to you. Come to the places where you can receive sacramental strength, either to Medjugorje or Marija Bistrica (Our Lady's shrine in Croatia). Come to Jesus“.    source  http://www.medjugorje.hr/en/

Pope John Paul ll - The Final Confrontation

The final confrontation

JUNE 7, 2014  

Pope John Paul II

The following comes from a June 1 posting by Father C. John McCloskey on the Catholic Thing.

“We are now standing in the face of the greatest historical confrontation humanity has gone through. I do not think that wide circles of American society or wide circles of the Christian community realize this fully. We are now facing the final confrontation between the Church and the anti-Church, of the Gospel versus the anti-Gospel.

“We must be prepared to undergo great trials in the not-too-distant future; trials that will require us to be ready to give up even our lives, and a total gift of self to Christ and for Christ. Through your prayers and mine, it is possible to alleviate this tribulation, but it is no longer possible to avert it. . . .How many times has the renewal of the Church been brought about in blood! It will not be different this time.”

– Bicentennial talk given in the United States by the future Saint John Paul II, then Cardinal Karol Wojtyla of Kraków, Poland

My eyes almost popped out when I first read this. I could not believe it was authentic, but I have checked it repeatedly and yes, he did say it. And he said it to us Americans, who were at perhaps the apogee of our greatness, short of the fall of the Evil Empire.

Well, how seriously should we take this? Very, very seriously. After all, the speaker was about to become one of the greatest popes in the history of the Church. In addition, he was a mystic and, yes, a prophet and truth-teller who suffered under Nazism and communism, as well as in a certain sense also from Islam. (Recall that he was almost killed by a Muslim assassin, only to be saved by the intercession of Our Lady of Fatima, according to his own words.)

Let me be clear: my musings on the words of John Paul are not meant to encourage you to sell your property, close the bank account, build a bomb shelter, and await the rapture. That is not the Catholic thing to do. But it’s hard not to “ponder these things in [our] hearts.” What exactly did the pope see or have revealed to him? Perhaps the best place to seek the answer is his writings, although we lack space to comb through them all here.

We can also look around us at the remains of what was once called the Christian West, noting a host of behaviors and beliefs that seem custom-made to initiate and accelerate decline. For example, we find in the West depopulation, legal abortion, open homosexuality and same-sex “marriage,” epidemic levels of pornography use, declining marriage rates, and rising cohabitation rates.

Politically, even supposedly tolerant and democratic states like our own are beginning to deny the religious liberty rights of families, businesses, and churches. In addition, we observe growing centralization of power in the hands of those unfavorable to any faith except the idolatry of health, wealth, and technology. They place their long-term hope in the possibility that science may one day arrest death. They watched too many Star Trek and Star Wars movies as children. Unfortunately, they may well go where many men have gone before – and not simply into outer space.

This, surely, is the Anti-Church that St John Paul foresaw – in any event it is here, it is growing, and to a great extent it has already demolished Europe.

What are we to do? First, of course, do not despair. As Catholics we live this life looking forward to the next. We can’t lose, for as St. Paul put it, for us death is gain, not something to fear.

How then to confront and combat the Anti-Church? Imitate the lives of the first Christians! Consider this justly famous description of Christians in the anonymous Letter to Diognetus, written in 79 A.D.:

“For the Christians are distinguished from other men neither by country, nor language, nor the customs which they observe. For they neither inhabit cities of their own, nor employ a peculiar form of speech, nor lead a life which is marked out by any singularity. . . .They dwell in their own countries, but simply as sojourners. As citizens, they share in all things with others, and yet endure all things as if foreigners. Every foreign land is to them as their native country, and every land of their birth as a land of strangers. They marry, as do all [others]; they beget children; but they do not destroy their offspring.

“They have a common table, but not a common bed. They are in the flesh, but they do not live after the flesh. (2 Corinthians 10:3) They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven. (Philippians 3:20) They obey the prescribed laws, and at the same time surpass the laws by their lives. They love all men, and are persecuted by all. . .they are in lack of all things, and yet abound in all; they are dishonored, and yet in their very dishonor are glorified. They are evil spoken of, and yet are justified; they are reviled, and bless; (2 Corinthians 4:12) they are insulted, and repay the insult with honor; they do good, yet are punished as evil-doers.”

If we live as the first Christians did, we too can confront and triumph over the Church of the evil Global Empires.

Marjana Speaks Of Our Lady's Messages

(c)Mateo Ivankovic December 4, 2015 St. John Damascene First Friday Dear Family of Mary! "Dear children I am always with you because my Son entrusted you to me. And you, my children, you need me, you are seeking me, you are coming to me and you are bringing joy to my motherly heart. I have, and always will have, love for you; for you who suffer and who offer your pains and sufferings to my Son and to me. My love seeks the love of all of my children, and my children seek my love. Through love, Jesus seeks unity between Heaven and earth; between the Heavenly Father and you, my children - His Church. Therefore, it is necessary to pray much, to pray and love the Church to which you belong. Now, the Church is suffering and needs apostles who by loving unity, by witnessing and giving, show the ways of God. The Church needs apostles who by living the Eucharist with the heart do great works; it needs you, my apostles of love. My children, from the very beginning the Church was persecuted and betrayed, but day by day it grew. It is indestructible because my Son gave it a heart - the Eucharist, and the light of His resurrection shone and will continue to shine upon it. Therefore, do not be afraid. Pray for your shepherds that they may have the strength and the love to be bridges of salvation. Thank you." (December 2, 2015) *Today I want to share with you a talk that Mirjana gave in 2014, because I think it complements the message and fills in some blanks for us.  Mirjana was very candid in this talk.  She was speaking from her living room via live stream to a conference in Chicago.  Mary TV was able to provide this link for her to speak in this way!  It was a first!  Mirjana's Chicago March 29, 2014 talk to the Totally Yours Conference in Chicago,  streamed live from Mirjana's living room to the conference: I would like to say hello to everybody. I am a little nervous because this is the first time for me to speak to a conference in this way (over the internet, live streamed). But I will try to do my best. I would like to talk about love, and Blessed Mary. Because you know how much she loves us. How much God loves us. Because, all these years, He has been sending our Mother to help us to find the way to meet Jesus. I want to say quickly the most important messages, the messages I always repeat here to the pilgrims in Medjugorje. I think that you know the first and most important message which Blessed Mary always repeats is the Holy Mass. But Holy Mass, not only on Sunday. When we were children, at the beginning of the apparitions, one time she said to us, "My dear children, if you need to choose between seeing me, having the apparition, or going to Holy Mass, you must always choose Holy Mass. Because during Holy Mass, my Son is with you." She asks from us family prayer, because she said that the parents have a big responsibility in front of the children. Parents must put the roots of the faith in the heart of their children. But they can do this, only, if they pray together and if they go to Holy Mass together. Because children will do only what they see in the home. We cannot talk to our children about the importance of Holy Mass, if they don't see that Holy Mass is in the first place for us. We cannot talk to children about prayer, if they do not see us pray. Because of this Blessed Mary said that we, parents, have a big responsibility. She asks from us fasting. She asks us to fast on Wednesday and Friday. She doesn't ask for fasting from people who are sick, really sick. She said that those people, through prayer will understand what they can do instead of fasting on bread and water. She asks for confession. She said that there is not one person in the world who doesn't need monthly confession. She asked for the Bible in our home. She said that we have all the answers in the Bible. I heard that before this talk, you were reading the message from March 18, 2014. And I must tell you something about this message. It was for the first time, when Our Lady was talking about darkness, that I saw something like a fog in winter. And as she continued to talk about God's love, everything was gone. I think that through this she was saying that if we do not choose God, if we do not choose Jesus, we will not finish good. But with God the sun is always in front of us. God will always show us the way we must go. You know that I have an apparition every 18th of March. Blessed Mary said I will have this apparition for my whole life. Some people think I have this apparition on the 18th of March because it is my birthday. But this is not true. I must tell you that on this March 18th, Blessed Mary did not say to me "Happy Birthday." Because for her my birthday is like all of your birthdays. Because she chose the 18th of March, just as she chose the 2nd of each month, because these dates mean something. And when the things that must happen in the world start happening, you will understand why these dates were chosen, why the 18th of March, why every 2nd of the month. I had daily apparitions until Christmas 1982, and Blessed Mary said to me on Christmas 1982 that I would not have any more daily apparitions. She said there would be one every year, on the 18th of March and that I would have some extraordinary apparitions. These apparitions started on the 2nd of August, 1987 and I still have these apparitions. I do not know for how long. These apparitions on the 2nd of the month are also for prayer for unbelievers. Our Mother, Blessed Mary, never says "unbelievers." When you say to someone, "You are an unbeliever", you give your judgment. You are judging these people. But she never judges. She only says,"Those who haven't felt the love of God yet." And she asks for our help. When she says "our" she doesn't mean the six visionaries. She needs the help of everyone who feels her love like a mother. Blessed Mary says that we can change the heart of unbelievers but only through our prayer and our example. She says that in our daily prayer we should put in the first place, prayer for them. Because Blessed Mary says that most of the bad things that happen in the world, like wars, divorce, drugs, abortion, all these things come because of unbelievers. And she said, "My dear children, when you pray for them, you pray for yourself, for your future." She asks for our example. She doesn't want us to be preaching to other people, she wants us to talk with our lives. That unbelievers can see God and the love of God in us. I ask you with all my heart, to take this very seriously. If you had the possibility only one time to see the tears in the eyes of Blessed Mary, I am sure you would pray with all of your heart. We who say that we are God's children, we have a big responsibility. When she asks for prayer for unbelievers, she asks that we pray in her way. I understand when she says this that she means, first, that we feel love for them. That we feel for unbelievers as our own brothers and sisters who are not lucky like us to feel the love of God. And when we feel like this, then we can pray for them. Never judge, never criticize. Simply love them, pray for them, and give them our example. All of us have at least one unbeliever in our home, a neighbor, someone where we work. And these unbelievers are looking at our lives, and we must ask ourselves if they see God in us or not! For this we will be responsible to God. I also want to tell you one important thing that Blessed Mary repeats in every message on the 2nd of the month. This is prayer for our priests. She is always saying that they do not need your judgment, your criticism, they need your love and your prayer. She said,"My dear children, if you lose respect for the priest, you will lose respect for the Church and for God." Also, when she is giving the blessing during the apparitions, she says "I am giving you my motherly blessing. But when the priest blesses you it is the most important blessing on earth, because when the priest blessed you, my Son is blessing you." She said also "Don't forget to pray for your shepherds, because their hands are blessed by my Son." Because of this, I pray you with all my heart, when you leave this conference and return to your home, your parish, please be an example to others of how we should be with our priests. I you see that your priest isn't doing what you think he must do, don't go around and judge him. Take the Rosary and pray for him. This is the way you can help him. Don't criticize and judge him. Because in this world we have so much judging and so little love. Blessed Mary wants people to recognize us through love. We should not take in our own hands what only God can do. Only He can judge. I am sorry that I cannot tell you more about what Blessed Mary has been preparing us for all these years, but I can tell you one thing.  You have the time we are living in now, our time. And you have the time of the Triumph of Heart of Mary because she said in one message,"What I started in Fatima I will finish in Medjugorje. My heart will triumph." And because of this we have this time that we're living in now and we have time of the triumph of the heart of Blessed Mary.  Through these two times [connecting these two times we have a bridge.   And this bridge is our priests.  Because of this reason Blessed Mary is asking from us so much prayers for the priests.  Because this bridge must be so strong that all of us can go through this bridge because Blessed Mary said with them, through them, I will triumph.  Without priests we do not have triumph of the Heart of Blessed Mary.  Many pilgrims ask me what Blessed Mary thinks when she's saying this.  I can tell you only what I think she wants to say: who can open the doors of heaven for us?  Only our priests.  Who can do confessions for us?  Only our priests.   Who can give us Jesus during the Holy Mass?  Only our priests.  Because of this reason, I ask you with all my heart: think about this very seriously.  And pray for our priests.   Because we will respond to God how we treat our priests.  "I'm trying to tell you everything very quickly because they tell me that I have 15 minutes....and I don't know, can you understand me?   How is my English?  I saw now, Guy and I must say, Guy, you look wonderful, really.  And I'm so happy because of everything that you're doing for Blessed Mary.  Do you want to ask me something? How Blessed Mary looks:  This is the most difficult question for me because to say how Blessed Mary looks is very difficult.  But I can try to tell you that I think she is a little taller than me.  I think this.  Because I'm always kneeling and she's always standing about a half meter above the earth...   And because of this reason I think that she is taller than me....   She always have grey dress and white veil.  Except on Christmas or Easter when she has like a golden dress.  When I say "grey", "golden" it's the only color that looks more like that on earth.... She has black hair, because I can see some here and some here [Mirjana point to her forehead and then makes a gesture to her waste].  It means her hair is long.   She has blue eyes and she's beautiful!  I can tell you what we would do when we were still children at the beginning of the apparitions.  We asked Blessed Mary childish questions.  We asked, "How is it possible that you are so beautiful?"  And she smiled and said,"Because I love."  She said, "My dear children, if you want to be beautiful, love!"  And when we had this apparition Jakov visionary, was only 9 years old.  And when Blessed Mary left, he said to us visionaries: "I think that she's not saying the truth.  And we were screaming at him how can you say Blessed Mary is not saying the truth, and he said, "Look at us visionaries.  Some of us can love all our lives and we'll never be beautiful like Blessed Mary said." I think that he didn't understand about which beauty Blessed Mary was talking about.   Because if you are beautiful inside.   If you have Jesus in the first place in your heart, you are beautiful because you have love.   This is what Blessed Mary wanted to say.  I want to say also good-by to all of you.  And please, try to be apostles of Blessed Mary.  Some pilgrims who come to Medjugorje think we visionaries, we are privileged.  They think it is enough to say things to us because God is listening to us more than other people.  This is not true.  For God, for Blessed Mary, privileged children don't exist.  For them, we are all her children.  And she's choosing us for different mission.   The six of us that she can say messages through us.  But she choose all of you!  Because she needs apostles.  And I will pray for your conference, I will pray that you can be apostles of Blessed Mary.  Please open your heart.  And try to see Blessed Mary with the heart.  Because it's most important to see her with the heart.  Not with the eyes.  Because if you're looking only with the eyes you will not see anything.  But if your heart is looking you will see everything and you will understand everything.  I'm waiting for you.  I heard that some of you will be here for Easter.  Next week we will be together.   Thank you for everything, and please pray for us visionaries also, that we can do everything that God wants from us, but in the right way.  Thank you!  Always together in prayer!!!! In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan (c)Mary TV 2015

Medjugorje -Our Lady's message to Mirjana of December 2, 2015

Today, December 2, 2015, Our Lady appeared to the visionary Mirjana in Medjugorje and delivered the following message: "Dear children. I am always with you because my Son entrusted you to me. And you, my children, you need me, you are seeking me, you are coming to me and you are bringing joy to my motherly heart. I have, and always will have, love for you; for you who suffer and who offer your pains and sufferings to my Son and to me. My love seeks the love of all of my children, and my children seek my love. Through love, Jesus seeks unity between Heaven and earth; between the Heavenly Father and you, my children - His Church. 

Therefore, it is necessary to pray much, to pray and love the Church to which you belong. Now, the Church is suffering and needs apostles who by loving unity, by witnessing and giving, show the ways of God. The Church needs apostles who by living the Eucharist with the heart do great works; it needs you, my apostles of love. My children, from the very beginning the Church was persecuted and betrayed, but day by day it grew. It is indestructible because my Son gave it a heart - the Eucharist, and the light of His resurrection shone and will continue to shine upon it. Therefore, do not be afraid. Pray for your shepherds that they may have the strength and the love to be bridges of salvation. Thank you."

Obituary: Sister Mary Randall Dies

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. – Sister of St. Joseph Mary Randall (formerly Sister Robert Marie), 82, member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Springfield, died in Framingham on Nov. 28.
A native of Newport, R.I., she was the daughter of Robert A. and Marie (Niland) Randall. She entered the Sisters of St. Joseph of Springfield from St. Augustine Parish, Newport, in 1950. She graduated from St. Catherine Academy, Newport, and earned a bachelor of arts degree from the College of Our Lady of the Elms, Chicopee, Mass.

She taught at the former Immaculate Conception School, Easthampton, and Sacred Heart School in Gardner, Mass. She served the Diocese of Providence for many years at St. Lucy School, Middletown, and St. Joseph School, Newport, and ministered among the people of St. Thomas Parish, Providence, for 37 years, from 1976 until her retirement in 2013.

In addition to her sisters in community, she is survived by her siblings, Father Robert Randall of Florida, Theresa Zimmerly of Ohio, and Joan Soares of Newport; and by several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her brother, Father John Randall of Providence.

The wake will take place at Mont Marie, 36 Lower Westfield Rd., Holyoke, on Friday, Dec. 4, from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., with a prayer service at 10:30 a.m. The Liturgy of Christian Burial will follow in Mont Marie Chapel at 11:30 a.m., with burial in Mont Marie Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Sisters of St. Joseph, 577 Carew St., Springfield, MA 01104.

Be Firm in Prayer

Be Firm in Prayer (c)Mateo Ivankovic   December 1, 2015 Advent, Week One   Dear Family of Mary!   "Dear children! Today I am calling all of you: pray for my intentions. Peace is in danger, therefore, little children, pray and be carriers of peace and hope in this restless world where Satan is attacking and tempting in every way. Little children, be firm in prayer and courageous in faith. I am with you and intercede before my Son Jesus for all of you. Thank you for having responded to my call." (November 25, 2015)   Our Lady asks us to be "firm in prayer." She needs us to pray for her intentions in this most important moment in history. There have been many who have prayed for Our Lady's intentions in the past, and maybe there will be many in the future, but at this moment she has only us! We are alive in this difficult moment when peace is in danger. We are those who have come to know the love of Jesus, and are consecrated to Jesus and Mary. We are the ones who are responding to Our Lady's call from Medjugorje. So, we are the ones who must be "firm in prayer" for her intentions now!   But because we live in this world, with all the distractions and challenges that surround us daily, we can become weak in our resolve to pray. We can be tempted to slacken our efforts. "Surely my prayer is not that important," we may think. It is precisely when we are being tempted to pray less, that it may be most important to pray more!   St. Faustina shared about such moments in her Diary:   (872) January 7. During the Holy Hour, the Lord allowed me to taste His Passion. I shared in the bitterness of the suffering that filled His soul to overflowing. Jesus gave me to understand how a soul should be faithful to prayer despite torments, dryness, and temptations; because oftentimes the realization of God's great plans depends mainly on such prayer. If we do not persevere in such prayer, we frustrate what the Lord wanted to do through us or within us. Let every soul remember these words: "And being in anguish, He prayed longer." I always prolong such prayer as much as is in my power and in conformity with my duty.   "Often the realization of God's great plans depends mainly on such prayer." Prayer that comes out of our fatigue or dryness is often the most powerful of prayers. And it is in these moments of prayer when we have to fight to stay faithful, that some big battles are won!   Our Lady gave us this message, in which she sounds like our cheerleader: October 25, 1989 "Dear children! Today also I am inviting you to prayer. I am always inviting you, but you are still far away. Therefore, from today, decide seriously to dedicate time to God. I am with you and I wish to teach you to pray with the heart. In prayer with the heart you shall encounter God. Therefore, little children, pray, pray, pray! Thank you for having responded to my call." "Pray, pray, pray!" That is the battle cry for us. May we all be firm in prayer, knowing that we are part of Our Lady's great plan for the salvation of many souls in our day.   In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan ©Mary TV 2015

"Medjugorje is the spiritual center of the world."  Saint John Paul II  Be connected! www.marytv.tv

The Medjugorje Message: Medjugorje and the ‘Miraculous Medal’

The Medjugorje Message: Medjugorje and the ‘Miraculous Medal’: Today is the Feast of the Miraculous Medal. The medal has an association with Medjugorje. On November 27, 1989, Our Lady said to the visiona...

Vicka - Medjugorje - Secrets - Do we need to fear?

Published on Nov 25, 2015

VICKA YOU HAVE 9 OF 10 SECRETS - DO WE NEED TO BE AFRAID?

Medjujorje: Our Lady's Message to Marija of November 25, 2015

“Dear children! Today I am calling all of you: pray for my intentions. Peace is in danger, therefore, little children, pray and be carriers of peace and hope in this restless world where satan is attacking and tempting in every way. Little children, be firm in prayer and courageous in faith. I am with you and intercede before my Son Jesus for all of you. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

THE CERTAINTY OF THE END AND HIS COMING

"The God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall...break in pieces all these kingdoms and put an end to them, and it shall stand forever." -Daniel 2:44

The vision Daniel interpreted has been the pattern of history (Dn 2:31ff). Great kingdom after great kingdom has been destroyed. Even the Temple and the city of God, Jerusalem, were destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. (Lk 21:6). Jesus prophesied that the fall of Jerusalem would be a prefigurement of the end of the world. "The present heavens and earth are reserved by God's word for fire; they are kept for the day of judgment, the day when godless men will be destroyed" (2 Pt 3:7). "What we await are new heavens and a new earth where, according to His promise, the justice of God will reside" (2 Pt 3:13).

Despite the historical proof of the accuracy of Jesus' prophecy of Jerusalem's destruction, many people, even Christians, doubt that Jerusalem's destruction prefigures the end of the world. However, most of the major critics of Christ's prophecy of the world's end have already been thrown on the garbage heap of history. For example, Karl Marx portrayed Christian eschatology as an escape from taking responsibility for justice in this world. He called Christianity "the opium of the people." Although millions still believe Marx's critique of Christianity, the breakdown of Marxist Communism in the Soviet Union has shown its weakness. The critics of Christianity and of its eschatology are passing away, but God's Word will last forever (Lk 21:33).

Let the world end and Jesus return.

 Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus! (Rv 22:20)

THE TRUST TEST

"Test your servants." -Daniel 1:12

The four young Israelite men asked their master to test their faith (Dn 1:12). Likewise, the poor widow in the Gospel reading asked God to test her faith by giving the Lord all her money (Lk 21:4). During the testing they gave God their all, trusted Him in the present moment, and placed their futures in His hands.

Jesus teaches us that our heavenly Father's plan is to provide on a "daily bread" basis (Mt 6:11). Many try to provide for a better tomorrow by storing up treasures, only to have that future plundered by the collapse of financial markets, the whims of world governments, or the ravages of thieves, natural disasters, or divorce. "Now is the acceptable time," not tomorrow (see 2 Cor 6:2). Tomorrow may never happen (see Lk 12:19-20; Jas 4:13-14).

"Stop worrying, then, over questions like, 'What are we to eat, or what are we to drink, or what are we to wear?'…Your heavenly Father knows all that you need. Seek first His kingship over you, His way of holiness, and all these things will be given you besides" (Mt 6:31, 32-33).

Don't plan for tomorrow using today's faith. Your plans probably won't factor in the great faith God plans to provide tomorrow. "Test yourselves to see whether you are living in faith; examine yourselves" (2 Cor 13:5). Trust in God today, and pass the trust test.

 Father, help me not to harden my heart today by being overwhelmed with the seeming burdens of the future (Ps 95:7-8).

 "Blessed is Your holy and glorious name, praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages." -Dn 3:52

"YOUR KINGDOM COME"

"Anyone committed to the truth hears My voice." -John 18:37

Decades ago, our young family gathered with several other young Catholic families and their small children in one family's large log cabin. It was a pleasant party until I happened to notice the host and another young father sitting in a far corner pulling out a recreational drug. They pulled out a cigarette lighter and flicked it into flame. Immediately in my mind, the verse reverberated over and over: "My kingdom does not belong to this world" (Jn 18:36). I knew we had to live as subjects of Jesus the King, at all times, in all occasions. Quickly, I gathered up my family and we left the party to return home.

There is a battle raging between two kingdoms. The kingdom of darkness, led by Satan, the ruler of this age (2 Cor 4:4), and the Kingdom of God, led by King Jesus, "Ruler of the kings of earth" (Rv 1:5), battle constantly for our loyalty. There is no neutral ground in this battle. We cannot serve two masters (see Mt 6:24). We can give our loyalty to only one of the kingdoms. We either live as obedient, loving subjects of Christ the King or we rebel against Him.  King Jesus embraced lowliness. If we are truly His obedient, loving subjects, we must do the same.

 All hail, King Jesus! "Your kingdom come" (Mt 6:10). I will seek first Your kingdom (Mt 6:33) every moment of my life.

 "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the One Who is and Who was and Who is to come, the Almighty!" -Rv 1:8

 Praise Jesus, the Lamb Who sits upon the throne!

Amy Grant - El Shaddai ( legendado )

National Geographic: terminally ill draw strength from Medjugorje